Exodus
by Genie Este
Summary: SG-1 jump time to a place where all is not as it seems...


**Title of story/poem:** Exodus  
**Author's Name:** Gene Este  
**Email Address:** gene_este@hotmail.com  
**Primary Category:** Action/Adventure  
**Secondary Categories:** Angst, Drama, Future Story, Series  
**Pairings:** Sam/Jack UST, Daniel/Janet  
**Spoilers:** A mention of a character from Ascension  
**Season:** Season 5, up until Wormhole, then branches off into its own little universe  
**Series:** Chapter One of Many  
**Rating:** R  
**Content Warnings:** Language, Violence, Adult Themes  
**Summary:** SG-1 jump time to a place where all is not as it seems…  
**Status:** Chapter Complete, Series Work In Progress  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of  
Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the author.  
**Author's Notes:** Thanks to Danvers, the most excellent Beta; to Perrin, you know why; to Mags for just being you, which goes also for Sally Murphy, and to God for no particular reason.  
  
  
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_Roaming in thought over the Universe, I saw the little that is Good steadily hastening towards immortality, And the vast that is evil I saw hastening to merge itself and become lost and dead.  
  
-Walt Whitman_  
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The sound of bodies hitting the ramp rang in the sudden silence after battle. Sam picked herself up off the floor gingerly and tried to control her anger. A large crate of supplies stood before her, blocking her view of the gate. She moved from behind it cautiously, gun held in her left hand.

She saw four figures getting up slowly from the exit ramp, and trained her gun on the one in the middle, whose back was to her.

"Turn around," she ordered, still moving towards him, "Slowly."

The figure froze, and shook his head. He turned around.

She quickly covered the look of shock on her face, and kept her weapon level at his chest. Her gaze flicked to his collar. "_Colonel_ O'Neill?"

He nodded at her unhappily. "Hello," he replied sardonically, raising his eyebrows at the rank on her fatigues, "Colonel."

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to have to ask you to hand over your weapons." She looked at the other three briefly. "All of you."

He made a tsk-tsk sound. "Now you see, Colonel, you obviously know me, so you should know that I'd really rather not do that."

She winced and flexed her right hand. "Look, as you can see," she moved her hand around the gate room, where the bodies of wounded or dead Jaffa and SGC personnel alike littered the floor. "I have other things to worry about."

She paused and brought her right arm up and shook it to get rid of the tingling sensation, which just served to jar her shoulder. She clenched her jaw and spoke through her teeth, impatience mounting. "Now either you hand over your weapons or I will be forced to shoot you. And you obviously know me, so you should know I'd really rather not do that."

He was silent, and she knew the other members of his team, the other her included, were waiting for him to give the order. He just stared at her, and she stared back.

Apparently making the decision that she wasn't going to stand down, he threw his weapons to the floor in front of her, and motioned for the others to do the same.

"What the hell?"

Sam looked over her shoulder and found Daniel staring at the four still standing on the ramp.

"Hey. Give me a hand?"

He blinked and looked over at her as if just seeing her. "Yeah," he moved to her side and she handed him the gun she had been holding.

"Take them to the infirmary, get Janet to check them out. See if you can find a few MP's on your way. And don't let them out of your sight."

"Okay." He caught her flexing her hand and frowned. "Are you alright?"

She nodded shortly. "Fine," she cocked her head at Daniel's bleeding hand, "You?"

He looked down at it. "Oh! Yeah, it's not that bad."

"Good. Get going," she motioned to the door. "By the way, have you seen the General?"

Daniel shook his head. "Not since Ney'sha fixed him up with her healing device."

She took a deep breath and muttered something to herself. "Thanks."

She lifted her radio out of the holder on her belt and clicked it a couple times. "General, we need to talk."

She left the gate room feeling Daniel's curious eyes on her back.

~

_"I told you to stay put."_

Daniel lifted his eyes from bandaging his hand; all the nurses occupied, and glanced at the radio. Sam's voice was wading through it. She must have forgotten to turn it off in all the commotion.

_"Since when do _you_ give _me_ orders?"_ He heard Jack reply archly.

"Uh oh," he said.

Daniel met Janet's eyes beside him, where she had wandered over and was now glancing at the radio uneasily. The room had grown into an anxious silence, listening to the argument unfold on the other end between the two senior officers. The four doubles from the past were at the far wall, trying to look like they weren't paying attention but failing miserably.

_"I wasn't giving you orders. I was advising you. It's what I do. I take that job seriously, even if you don't."_

"I have full right to turn down any advice as I see fit."

"Not when it comes to the welfare of this base. By putting yourself in the line of fire, you ran the risk of leaving this command without two senior officers to run it."

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Jack's voice had turned dangerously quiet.

Daniel groaned. "Don't say it, Sam."

_"Yes. I'm also wondering if you haven't lost your mind between here and the door."_

_"Thin ice, _Colonel."

_"I'm aware of that, _General."

"This is not good," Janet said. "Two minutes after the fighting ends and they're already at it."

Daniel looked at the other, younger SG-1. "Yeah, well, it's nothing new."

"No, but this could get ugly."

"It already has."

_"Look, all I'm saying is that if I'd known you were going to show up while I was getting myself killed trying to defend you, I really wouldn't have bothered."_

"Ouch," Daniel muttered. He glanced at the other SG-1 again, and Major Carter had a stricken look on her face. No doubt horrified at speaking to her commanding officer is such a way.

_"I don't need you defending me, Carter."_

"This is not good," Daniel repeated.

_"Under normal circumstances, you're right. But at the time you were seriously injured. There was no way for me to know that Ney'sha had a healing device."_

"It's because I was healed that I followed you, Carter. You needed all the able soldiers you could get."

"That's not the point. I told you to stay where you were because there was a very good chance that I wasn't going to make it out of the gate room. What if we had both gotten killed? The chain of command was already pretty much screwed. Do you know what could've happened?"

The tension at these words was palpable, the fear that Sam had finally crossed the line heavy on all their minds. But then Daniel heard a sound come over the radio that made him question his hearing.

General Jack O'Neill was laughing.

Janet scowled at Daniel, trying desperately to catch up on what she missed.

"What's going on?"

"Got me," Daniel replied.

_"What is so funny?"_ Daniel winced; she wasn't happy with this new turn of events.

_"You realize that if you and I had bit the dust, with the chain of command as busted as it was at the time, that Simmons would have had to step up?"_

There was silence over the line until they heard Sam start to chuckle. And then break out into full-fledged laughter, Jack joining in once again. Daniel started to grin.

_" 'I'm sorry, Mr. Goauld, but you really can't do that in here.'"_ Jack mimicked. Daniel got a mental picture of Simmons with his hands on hips facing down the Jaffa and their leader, and couldn't help but laugh himself. Soon the entire room was laughing, despite Simmons' indignant 'Hey!'

_"That is a scary thought."_

Sam stopped laughing abruptly, and Daniel heard her groan slightly.

"Daniel, was Sam injured?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "I asked if she was okay after the fallout and she said she was fine."

Janet rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she did."

She heard Jack curse on the other end.

_"Why the hell haven't you been to the infirmary?"_

"Janet's still swamped. Besides, it isn't that bad."

"Bad enough to look like it hurts."

"It didn't before."

Jack gave a disbelieving snort, and they heard a shuffling noise.

_"Come on. Don't want you bleeding on the carpet. Cleaning bill's a bitch."_

"Gee, thanks, sir. Nice to know you care."

"About my carpet? Yeah, sure, you betcha."

There was another shuffling noise, only this time it was obvious it was the radio being moved and not Sam.

_"Damn."_

Daniel grinned. "I guess Jack's realized that the entire base probably heard their little disagreement."

_"Janet?"_

Janet grinned back and picked up the radio. "Yes, General?"

_"I assume by now you know we're on our way?"_

"We'll be waiting, sir."

_"I'm sure you will."_

Janet's grin got bigger, and she chuckled.

~

"You're lucky, Sam. This could've been a lot worse."

"I'm gonna get the lecture again, aren't I?"

"Yep. You do know what 'duck' means, do you?"

Sam glared, and Janet hid a grin. "Take off the jacket."

Sam shook her head. "I'd really rather not do that."

Janet shook her head back. "Then this is going to hurt."

She took the scissors and cut the fabric around Sam's left shoulder, being mindful of the burns there.

Sam breathed through clenched teeth, and she glanced at the General, who was leaning against the wall watching.

Janet scowled. She peeled the fabric away from the burned skin, unfortunately taking several layers with it.

Caught off guard, Sam kicked a medicine stand nearby, sending it flying.

_"God-dammit!"_ She hissed, squeezing her eyes shut. The General cringed and looked away. Daniel blew out a breath.

Breathing hard, trying to deal with the pain and keep from passing out, Sam stifled a groan.

Janet frowned. "Sorry. I figured if I gave you a warning you'd only fight me."

"I may anyway."

Janet gave a small smile. "I'd love to give you painkillers, Sam, but I don't know how extensive the damage is. I need to know what hurts."

"Oh, I think you have a pretty good idea."

Janet sighed. She looked to Jack for backup.

"Don't look at me. I vote for the drugs."

"Me too, by the way." Daniel called from his position standing with the other SG-1.

Janet muttered something about the men being wimps, and turned back to Sam. "Congratulations, Sam. You have what looks distinctly like third degree burns and shrapnel in and around your shoulder. How, may I ask, did this happen?"

Sam gave half-grin half-grimace at Janet's tone, and talked over her shoulder. "Jaffa shot a control panel I was crouching next to. Thing blew, got my shoulder."

"Why didn't you come to the infirmary immediately? This could have gotten infected."

Sam glared at Jack. "I was a bit preoccupied at the time."

"Hey, don't blame me, Carter. It's not my fault you took a complete leave of your senses."

"You're one to talk."

"Watch it, Carter." He replied, but it was good-natured.

"Yes sir." She said exaggeratedly, and then hissed through her teeth again as something went into her muscles.

"What was that?"

"Painkillers. I have to remove the shrapnel piece by piece."

"How long is it going to take?"

"Depends on the amount of shrapnel I have to remove. Then there's the matter of treating the burns, ensuring against infection…"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh. Ought to teach you not to ignore your injuries."

"Anyone ever tell you, Janet, that your bedside manner is a bit lacking?"

"Only you." 

Sam frowned. "Wait a second - where's Teal'c?"

"He went with Ney'sha to help transfer the wounded and see if there are any repairs on their side we could help with." Jack replied.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little more…helpful…than usual?"

"They were a little more helpful than usual."

"True." She heard Janet sigh behind.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm going to need you to lie down for this. You keep moving, and that's not making my job any easier. Besides, this is going to take a while. You might as well get comfortable. And this shirt is definitely going to have to go."

Sam groaned and Janet turned to the others.

"Time for all of you to leave. Sam will probably have to spend the night here anyway."

"What!?"

"You heard me."

"Janet, I have a lot of work to do. We have to figure out what to do with them," she pointed at the other SG-1, which, up until this point, had gone pretty much ignored in the chaos. "How they got here, how to get them back. Not to mention the paperwork"-

"I don't care."

"I'm not staying the night."

"Don't make me pull you off duty, Sam."

Suddenly Sam looked very old, and very tired. "Fine."

"No visitors."

"Janet." Sam's tone told her that she was very close to losing her temper.

"Alright, fine. But if you overdo it, they leave."

"Fine."

Quite annoyed with the word 'fine', Janet motioned for the others to make their exit and began the task of removing Sam's shirt.

~

"Hiya, Carter. Meet…well…us. Again." Jack motioned to the other SG-1.

She moved into a more comfortable sitting position, favoring her right side. She looked noticeably wary, though there was an inkling of the familiar excitement that came with meeting a work of science.

"Hello." She smiled. "I'd tell you what was going on, but…"

Major Carter smiled back. "We understand."

Sam nodded. "If I had had my way I would have isolated you from us, so there'd be no possible damage to the timeline, but what's done is done. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions."

"Of course." Major Carter replied.

"First off- what year was it when you left?"

"2001. What year is it now?"

"2018."

"Whoa." Dr. Jackson said. "That's…a while."

Sam grinned at him. "17 years usually is."

Jack watched the exchange in silence. He had been comparing the differences between the younger team and his former team since they arrived right after the fight had broken out. Daniel really hadn't changed in their years; he still had a boyish quality about him. But Daniel was definitely a little rougher around the edges than his younger self.

Teal'c - well, Teal'c looked about the same. Junior probably helped with that. But Carter - the difference in Carter was noticeable. She was a lot less energetic; she had mellowed down in her 53 years. Her hair was longer - shoulder length - and nearly completely white. But she didn't look old. Her features were more defined, but not old. And her taste for sarcasm had obviously grown with her. Spent too much time around him, he suspected.

He didn't even want to think about the differences between himself and…himself. He was old. No use dwelling on it.

But perhaps it was the changes made to SG-1 that stood out the most. SG-1 didn't exist as it once did. It now was a special team (they couldn't quite bear to see anyone else take their places, and no one had wanted to) that only came together on special occasions.

He and Carter stayed mostly earthbound these days - the operation of the mountain depending on their presence. Hammond had retired 5 years before, content that he had done his job, but still reluctant to leave. Jack understood perfectly.

Daniel and Teal'c got to have most of the fun; they went off world most every week. Daniel as the resident expert on anything old, and Teal'c - surprisingly - as a diplomat. Who knew the big guy had it in him.

While SG-1's schedule had changed, old habits hadn't. The bicycle was still ride-able.

"What do you think, General?" Sam's eyes twinkled mischievously. She had caught the fact that he hadn't been paying attention.

"Whatever you think, Colonel."

"Nothing to add?"

Jack was fighting the urge to grin. "Of course not, Carter. I trust you implicitly."

"Great. They can stay at your house, then." She said, her face amazingly straight, though her eyes were giving her away.

He raised an eyebrow. "Touché." And then he shook his head. "But no. They're not staying at my place. Your place is more…private."

"Ah, but if NID gets a whiff of this they'll automatically suspect they're at my place. We have to throw them off."

"Nice try, C. No dice. They are not staying at my place. Think of all the cleaning I'm going to have to do."

"No rest for the wicked, sir." She replied sweetly.

"Do we get a say in this?" Colonel O'Neill said, annoyance tingeing his voice.

"No." They both replied. Jack raised his eyebrows and cocked his head at Daniel.

Daniel quickly caught on. "No. My place is too small."

Janet looked confused, having walked into the middle of the conversation. "Why is this a problem again?"

"If the NID find out that we've gotten a visit from our past, they'll be all over it. Worse case scenario, they'll use recent events to take them out of our custody. Which makes you," he nodded towards SG-1, "their newest science projects."

"Not an option," Colonel O'Neill stated firmly.

"Excuse me. Recent events?" Dr. Jackson said, curiosity lighting his eyes.

Jack glanced at Sam, who silently shook her head. "Sorry. Need to know. You understand."

Jackson sighed. "All too well."

"I have a question." The Colonel piped in, eyes darting from his Major and Sam. "If you can't tell us anything, or show us anything, how are we supposed to get home?"

Sam shrugged. "We're going to have to wing it. Some things we won't be able to avoid, like what the inside of your house looks like now"-

"They're not staying at my place, Carter."

-"Or what new cars look like in this time, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, these are all things that can affect the timeline. All we can really do is keep you away from big stuff - stuff I can't mention or that would defeat the purpose." She ended with a smile, having seen the look on Dr. Jackson's face.

Major Carter frowned. "But everything has the potential of being a 'big thing'. We don't know what will affect the time. And we'll never know, because to us it'll be business as usual."

Sam sighed. "There's no way to solve this. You've already seen a lot of things, heard a lot of things that we can do nothing about. We're just going to have to be extremely careful and trust you won't do something stupid when you get back."

Her younger self seemed momentarily surprised by her frankness, but then smiled and nodded.

"Right now we need to get you off the base while we run a fine tooth comb for any NID."

"That's a problem?" Colonel O'Neill asked.

Jack exchanged looks with Daniel and Sam. "It's been known to happen."

Sam winced as she tried to take the pressure off her right arm, which had been supporting her. Realizing that she probably wasn't going to get much more comfortable, she moved her arm and leaned back, ignoring the looks Janet and Jack were giving her. She cleared her throat, and did a fairly good job of keeping her obvious discomfort out of her voice.

"Once we make sure there are no unfavorable representatives on base, we'll bring you back. As far as we know, there are no ill effects from being in the future too long short of endangering the timeline, so I think all of you will be fine. Better safe than sorry."

"We're going to have to set some ground rules. No television once they get to the Jack's house. No radio. No papers. Windows closed, and I hate to suggest it, but blindfolds might be in order on the way over." Daniel put in.

Seeing the incredulous looks SG-1 were sending him, Daniel sighed. "We know that at the very least you're going to know what the inside of Jack's house looks like now. We covered that." Daniel smirked at Jack's annoyed glower. "But scenery, among other things, will pose a problem. You said it yourselves."

Colonel O'Neill nodded. "Fine. We'll do it."

Jack sent a questioning glance to Sam. She shrugged.

"I'll catch up with you guys in the morning."

"Not before noon." Janet declared.

"Nine."

"Noon, Sam."

"Ten."

"Eleven."

"Fine." Sam said, annoyed. She glared at Jack, who had been sharing amused glances with Daniel the entire time. He shrugged.

Sam sighed and shifted again. Janet got up out of her chair. "Painkillers wearing off already?"

"I'd say so, yeah."

Janet shook her head. "I can't give you any more for another couple of hours or so."

Sam nodded. "I know. I'm not asking for any."

"Could you give her something to put her to sleep?" Jack asked.

"I suppose a mild sedative would do it."

Jack disregarded the fierce look Sam was sending him. "Then do it."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can wait." Sam sent a hard look in the vicinity of Jack.

"Sorry, Carter, but I need you at your best tomorrow, which means you need to get some rest. You've been up for 48 hours straight. And while that's hurting," he motioned toward her shoulder, "I can guarantee that you won't be getting any sleep." 

"I'd have to agree with him, Sam." Janet said, trying to appease her.

"Sir"-

"Carter, just do what Janet tells you. That's an order."

Sam shook her head tiredly. "Yes sir."

He turned to Daniel and SG-1, and moved towards the door. "Let's go."

"General, if you could wait a moment." Sam asked.

Jack stopped. He motioned between the door and Daniel, "Go ahead." Daniel nodded and left with the others.

"What do you need, Carter?"

"I wanted Janet to contact Cassie, but she's been so busy. I was hoping you"-

"Talked to them while Frasier was fixing you up. They're going to spend the night, but they'll be back tomorrow."

She gave a grateful, relieved smile. "Thanks. I was worried."

He smiled back. "I knew you would be. You worry too much, Carter."

"Yeah, well, it's hard not to." Her smile disappeared, and she fixed him with a serious look. "Really, Jack. Thanks for everything."

His expression also grew serious. "Anytime, Sam."

She held his eyes. "I know."

He held her eyes and sighed a sigh of what could have been regret. "Goodnight Carter."

"Goodnight General."

He inclined his head at her and left.

~

"Home sweet home." Jack threw his jacket and bag over the couch and watched his younger self scan the area.

"Interesting. Not much for change, are we?" Colonel O'Neill observed.

Jack glared and motioned towards the back of the house. "You know where everything is. You guys are going to have to decide who get the guest room and who gets the couch."

"Thanks." The Colonel replied wryly.

Major Carter rubbed her neck. "What time is it?"

Jack gave her a grin. "Which?"

She grinned back. "Clock."

"Ah. You have to be specific."

She chuckled and shook her head, ignoring the strange way the Colonel was looking at her.

"It's one a.m." Daniel supplied.

She nodded and sat down in an armchair. "Thanks."

"Since I doubt we'll be getting any sleep tonight, we might as well go over how you got here." Daniel said as he took the seat opposite Major Carter.

She shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. We had just completed a mission to P2X-667"-

"'667? Nice little tropical planet? Extremely tanned natives?" At Major Carter's nod, he grinned. "I remember that place. The head-guy had a thing for you."

She blushed, but continued. "They don't see many blondes." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, we dialed the gate and went through. There were no problems."

Jack frowned. "Wait a second. That was just before Or"-

Daniel cleared his throat very loudly, and sent Jack a glare. Jack didn't say anything, but continued to scowl.

"Is it possible that solar flares had anything to do with it?" Daniel asked, still looking in Jack's direction.

"No. The wormhole didn't cross a path near the sun. It was in the other direction."

"That doesn't give us much to go on." Jack said from behind the bar, sipping a soda he had acquired from the fridge.

"I don't know what else to tell you."

Daniel sighed, but nodded. "We'll just have to figure out another angle."

"Which would be…?" Colonel O'Neill queried.

"Uh, I think that would be where the 'figure out' part comes in." Jack replied.

The Colonel sighed, but ignored the comment. Jack downed the rest of his drink, and went in the direction of his bedroom.

"You may not be getting any sleep, but I've been up for two days and I'm exhausted. Goodnight." He waved over his shoulder.

Daniel shook his head. "I guess that's our cue."

A knock at the door stopped Jack in his tracks. "What the hell…" He turned around and grabbed his gun from the holster hanging from the back of his jeans.

"I take it you're not expecting anyone?" Colonel O'Neill asked.

Jack shook his head and moved quietly to the door, but stopped when a voice called out from the other side.

"Oh, for God's sake, Jack. Put away the weapon you're no doubt pointing at the door and let me in."

Jack did, and shook his head, annoyance showing in his movements. He opened the door.

"Jacob, nice of you to drop by. What the hell are you doing here?"

Jacob sighed. "I don't know, Jack. I heard the weather was great earth-side these days and thought I'd have a look. What do you think I'm doing here?"

"Think you might have given us a little warning? You remember what a phone is, right?"

"And risk that they're tapped? I don't think so. Look, do you want my help or not?"

Jack gave a faux hopeful face. "No?"

Jacob glared, and pushed his way inside. He stopped when he saw the other SG-1 and Daniel. "Has he been like this all day?"

Daniel smirked. "You have to ask?"

Jack sent him a look and got down to business. "Why are you here?"

"Teal'c sent me through to tell you that he'd be a while. Things are pretty busted up on our end."

Jack winced. Jacob continued. "I wasn't planning to stay until Janet brought me up to date."

"And why are you staying now?"

"Because I know what's going on."

~

"What do you mean, you know what's going on?" Jack practically growled.

"The Goauld have been playing around with time shift technology for years. It makes sense, doesn't it? Go back in time and eliminate your enemies before they can do some real damage."

Daniel shook his head. "It fits. That's why you thought nothing was out of the ordinary. Nothing was out of the ordinary." Daniel said to Major Carter.

Jack pushed away from the counter angrily. "How long have they been playing around with this technology?"

Jacob scowled. "A long time."

"And it didn't occur to you to warn us about this?"

Jacob was silent.

Jack stilled. "I see."

Daniel's gaze darted between Jack and Jacob. "What?"

"You didn't tell us because you've been messing around with it yourself. Tell me, Jacob, was it really the Goauld that brought them here?" Jack asked quietly.

Jacob glared. "I would tell you if it was us, Jack."

"Would you?"

"Do you really want to get into this now, Jack?"

Jack sat back and gave him an angry smile. "We have plenty of time. Or haven't you heard?"

Major Carter looked between Jack and Jacob and shifted uneasily. She didn't like what she was seeing. Daniel caught the movement and cleared his throat.

"Look, there's not much we can do without knowing more about this…device the Goauld are using. What do the Tok'ra know about it?"

"Not much considering the time we've been studying it. Apparently, it uses the wormhole, or manipulates it, into doing what it wants."

Major Carter tilted her head to the side. "In principle, it's possible. In fact, most of the theories relating to time travel involve a wormhole of some kind."

"And that's all you know?" Jack asked skeptically.

Jacob nodded, annoyed. "Yes. We know what it does, just not how to make it work. We were hoping to figure it out before the Goauld did."

"Well, that's pretty much shot now." O'Neill grumbled.

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Is that it?"

Jacob nodded. "For right now." He stood up, "I'm going to go back and get the device. Maybe when Sam is up and about she can make heads or tails of it."

Jack shook his head. "Not now, you're not. We still don't know if the base is clean. You're going to have to wait until the morning."

"Fine. You're a little crowded here, so I'll stay at Sam's. If the NID are keeping tabs on you, that ought to throw them off."

"Let's hope."

~

Sam woke up to a bright, bustling infirmary. She rolled over, and instantly regretted it. Janet took that precise moment to walk in and grin at her.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"You're sadistic, you know that?" Sam maneuvered the bed into a sitting position. "What time is it?"

Janet's grin went up a notch in triumph. "1100."

Sam's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Nope. And before you ask, the General and the other SG-1 are already on base. Also, your Dad stayed the night at your place, and left this morning. He said he'd be back with a nice little toy for you to play with."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

Janet shook her head. "General O'Neill ordered me not to. He said he figured he could hold the base together until you got up."

Sam scooted over the edge of the bed. "Definitely sounds like something he would say. Where are my clothes?"

~

"Carter! Nice of you to join us." Jack called.

She sent him a scathing look. Then she turned to Daniel. "Is there coffee? Tell me there's coffee."

Daniel chuckled, and handed her a ready-made mug. She raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Figured you'd need this," he explained, looking at her arm in a sling and tilting his head in Jack's direction.

She grinned and sat down next to Teal'c. "I'm glad you're back with us Teal'c. Do you have a report on the Tok'ra home world?"

He nodded. "I do. Much of their technology was damaged, but there does not appear to be any casualties."

She set down her coffee. "That's good to hear. What's this about Dad turning up last night? Janet said something about a new toy."

They filled her in on what Jacob had told them, and she blew out a breath. "This is unbelievable. They held out on us. Again." She leaned back in her chair. "I thought we were past that stage." 

Jack took a sip out of his mug. "Apparently not." He sighed. "I think we might have a problem, though."

Sam shook her head slightly. "A problem? At the SGC? That's new."

"Major Carter told us they were dialing home after completing a mission on P2X-667."

Daniel shrugged. "So?"

"P2X-667 was SG-1's last mission before Orlin approached Colonel Carter on behalf of his kind." Teal'c informed him.

"Ah," Daniel replied, "Then you're right. We do have a problem."

Sam scowled. "That's why the Goauld picked that particular time. They wanted to stop the chain of events set off by Orlin seeing me."

Daniel nodded. "Also explains why they attacked the base. They couldn't control the address SG-1 dialed. They needed to be able to get to them when they arrived."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "But the attack failed. It was a large tactical error."

Jack fiddled with a pen while he concentrated on the issue at hand. "Yeah. But I think this was more a matter of luck than any kind of advantage on our part. The battle could have gone either way."

Daniel frowned. "That's not very encouraging."

"No it isn't. Which brings us to another matter: how the hell did they find out what that last mission was?" Sam asked.

Jack threw his pen down. "That's a good question." He looked up as SG-1 entered the room, "Ah, everyone feel refreshed?"

Dr. Jackson sat opposite Sam. "Yes, thank you." The others stayed standing.

Jack abandoned the old topic for another. "Nevertheless, Jacob sent the…'time shift' device back with Teal'c to study. It's in your lab."

Anticipation lit Sam's face. "I'd like to go ahead and take a look at it, if that's alright?"

Jack gave a crisp nod. "Go ahead. Just don't forget the budget proposals we have to go over at 1400."

Sam smiled sarcastically. "How could I? They're so much fun." She got up and left the briefing room. Major Carter fiddled with her jacket and stared at the door. Jack gave small smile and motioned towards the door.

"Go."

She glanced at Colonel O'Neill, who nodded his agreement. She left to follow her future self.

Jack was about to comment when he saw the frown on Teal'c's face. "What's up, Teal'c?"

"JacobCarter gave me the impression he would follow me here. He should have returned some time ago."

Daniel lifted his eyebrows in speculation. "Perhaps he just got tied up?"

As if on cue, the gate activated.

Jack stood up. "Guess we'll find out."

~

Jack leaned over the speaker. "What's going on, Jacob?"

_"The beta site's been attacked."_ Even over the radio his voice was noticeably strained.

Jack froze, and spoke quietly and controlled. "I thought it was supposed to be a safe planet."

_"It was, up until about an hour ago. They contacted us just long enough to get a message through that the Goauld had them under fire and the gate shut down. Every attempt we've made to dial up the planet has failed."_

Jack slammed his fist down onto the table. "_Shit_," He turned to one of the techs. "Get Colonel Carter. Now."

The tech left the control room at a run.

_"Please tell me the girls are there, Jack."_

Jack closed his eyes. "They're not here."

Colonel O'Neill scowled and shared looks with the rest of his team. "The girls?"

Jack ignored him. Daniel was as still as statue staring ahead. "Oh god."

Jack rubbed his hands through his hair. "Get over here, Jacob. We'll put together a team and keep dialing here."

_"I'm coming."_

Just then Sam skidded into the room followed by Major Carter, who joined her team in the corner.

Sam's eyes were panicked, but her voice was calm. "Is it true?"

Jack turned to look at her, and after a moment she closed her eyes and sank into a chair. Jack looked down at the gate room as Jacob stepped through the wormhole.

He looked back at Sam. "Carter," he said loudly to snap her out of her fear. Her head jerked up and out of her hands. "We have things to do."

She nodded swiftly and stood up. She cleared her throat, and spoke with only a hint of a tremor in her voice. "I'll go get the teams together."

She left the room, and the gate disengaged.

"Dial the beta site." Jack ordered.

The gate's rings rotated up until the last symbol, but didn't connect.

"Reset it." He said gruffly. Daniel rubbed his face.

SG-1 looked around confused. "Any ideas on what has them so panicked?" O'Neill asked them quietly.

Jackson shook his. "No. But whatever it is, it must be pretty important."

O'Neill shrugged, and went back to watching Jack, who was still having no luck connecting the gate.

Jack cursed. "Keep dialing at two-minute intervals."

"Yes sir," the operator responded quickly.

Jack walked towards the door and stopped briefly at Teal'c and Daniel. "I'm going to go help Carter with the troops. Stay here, and the moment it goes through I want you to come get us."

"I will, O'Neill."

Daniel nodded worriedly. After Jack left, his eyes immediately went back to the stargate.

The gate started turning.

Daniel started and moved quickly beside the lieutenant. "Did we do that?"

She shook her head. "No sir. Someone's dialing us," she checked the glyphs. "It's the beta site, sir!"

"Open the iris!" He yelled as he ran out of the control room. "Get General O'Neill!"

~

A multitude of people tumbled through the gate, so many that it was impossible to know who was who. Daniel met up with Jacob, who had been waiting in the gate room. He had to yell to be heard over the noise of the cries and talking.

"I don't see them!" 

Jacob grabbed his arm. "There are too many people here! We're going to have to look for them one by one! You take that side, I'll take this one!" He responded, pointing into the mass of people.

They moved, trying to stay out of the way of the medical personnel, Daniel constantly having to sidestep someone. He didn't notice that SG-1 had followed him.

"Cassie!" He yelled, "Tessa!"

"Daniel!"

He stopped and looked around. "Cassie!?" He moved forward.

"Over here!" He spotted her and the far left of the gate kneeling down. He turned around briefly and called to Jacob, and pointed ahead at the mop of dark brown hair. He saw Jacob nod over the crowd of people.

As he got closer, he realized that she was alone. "Oh no," he knelt down and met Cassie's distraught eyes.

Her voice was shaky, and sing-song as if she were in shock. Blood poured down her face from a swelling cut just above her temple. "There was no power to the stargate. We couldn't make it work…" Her voice trailed off.

Daniel grabbed her shoulders. "Cassie, focus! What about Tessa? Where is she?"

Cassie shook her head slowly. "She was right with me…"

His hands tightened as he shook her a little. "Did she come through the gate?"

She blinked, her eyes cloudy. "I think so..."

Daniel closed his eyes. She had a head injury. It was likely she couldn't tell him anything even if she wanted to. He looked around quickly, not wanting to leave her alone.

One of the Tok'ra, Eliza, scooted over from her position against the exit ramp put her arms around Cassie.

"I will stay with her. Go," was all he heard from her before he got up and ran into Jacob, who had been standing there listening. The man's eyes were anguished.

"We need to keep looking!" He said, and Daniel nodded numbly.

He set off, and saw Sam and looking through the crowd, Jack not far from her.

She looked up and caught his gaze, her face questioning. He shook his head and continued looking.

Then he heard a whimper.

He stopped in his tracks and stood very still, hoping to hear it again. He did. He looked down and turned, and came upon a figure wrapped in a cloak, huddled alone nearly under the ramp on the opposite side of where Cassie was. They must have gotten separated when they exited the gate.

He crouched down. "Tessa?" 

Her blues eyes found him frantically. "Daniel!" She threw herself into his arms and sobbed.

He held her close, and put his hand on her blond head. "It's okay. It's okay, you're safe now."

He pulled her away and looked her over.

Her face was brown with dirt and covered in blood and bruises. "My head hurts. Where's Mom?"

He didn't answer as he went up on one knee and looked over his shoulder. He couldn't see Sam or Jack, or any medics. 

He bent down and picked the teenager up. She clutched to him. He kept murmuring assurances, as he looked around for the nearest doctor. He found Janet in the back of the gate room. And the other SG-1.

Moving quickly, but carefully, he made his way to where she was directing patients. He caught her eye, and shock crossed her face. Their worst fears had been realized. He saw her glance around, and wave to someone. He didn't pay attention to whom, as he was laying Tessa on a pallet on the floor. Janet was by his side in an instant.

"Where is she hurt?"

Daniel kept his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Head injury is the only thing I can see. She's pretty beaten up."

Janet nodded. She sat Tessa up and removed the makeshift bandage that covered her head. Janet studied the cut that followed the hairline from the middle of her forehead to her temple. "Can you tell me what happened, Tessa?"

Tessa's eyes were closing slowly, and she mumbled something unintelligible. Janet shook her gently. "Tessa," she said firmly, "Stay awake."

Her eyes opened, and looked around wildly. "Where's Mom?" Daniel looked around the room again, and finally caught Sam still looking helplessly.

Daniel called out to Sam, and watched as she whirled around. Daniel motioned to her and he yelled, "Sam! Over here! She's here!"

Jack turned around, having heard his call also, and they nearly ran to where Tessa was still lying, fighting to stay conscious.

Sam fell to her knees and slid to a stop beside her daughter. Daniel looked on as fear and agony washed over her face as she realized Tessa was hurt. She looked up to Janet, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"It's okay. I don't think it's too serious."

Sam nodded silently and stroked Tessa's face, who opened her eyes again. Tears leaked down her face. "Momma," she whispered.

Sam looked over at Daniel, and he lifted Tessa's shoulders as Sam stretched out her legs. He lowered her until her shoulders laid on Sam's thighs and her head rested on Sam's forearms.

Daniel got up and stood beside Jack and Jacob. The fleeting glance he had gotten of their faces told him that they were two very, very angry men. And looking on as Sam held on to her daughter, he felt the stirrings of anger himself.

Sam didn't notice the three men, or the other SG-1 watching in the shadows. She kept her eyes closed, and rocked Tessa gently until she stopped crying.

~

Jack stood at the entrance of Tessa's room, watching Sam. He turned to face Daniel and SG-1, and pulled Daniel to the side away from their alternately shocked and curious eyes. "Keep them out here. The last thing Tess needs is to see her Mom in doubles." Daniel nodded.

Jack approached Sam quietly. "Sam?"

She looked up swiftly, startled to see him. He smiled an apology, which quickly disappeared as he caught sight of Tessa's face. He saw her painful split lip first, and his eyes traveled up to a rapidly forming black eye that led into a large bruise on her cheek. Her forehead was covered in white bandages. He struggled for a moment to reign in his emotions. He stepped forward and put his hand on Tessa's leg.

She shook her head and exhaled raggedly. "She was supposed to be safe." She said, quietly, anger and pain lacing tremors into her voice.

He nodded. "I know," he replied softly. "I'm sorry."

She wiped her eyes swiftly. "For what?"

"It was my idea to send her there."

She met his eyes. "You couldn't have known."

He sighed. "Has she told you anything?"

She shook her head. "She's been pretty out of it. The little I've heard makes me think she had to fight a Jaffa at some point."

"Jack?" Tessa's voice was barely audible as her eyes fluttered open.

Jack's hand tightened slightly on her leg. "I'm here, kid."

She closed her eyes again; unable to keep them open. "Can you stay for a while?"

He sighed and looked over to where Daniel and the younger SG-1 were watching in the doorway, and then looked back. "I can't right now. I have something to take care of. But I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," she replied, already falling asleep again.

Jack sighed again and rubbed Tessa's leg. "We're going to go talk to Cassie, see if she has anything to add."

Sam rubbed her forehead. "I'll be along in a little while."

"You don't have to."

She looked up at him, and not for the first time did he see the range of powerful emotions that resided there. She needed answers as much as he did. Even more.

He nodded and left.

~

"Its okay, come on in." Cassie waved at them from her bed.

"How're you feeling?" Daniel asked as he pulled several chairs from the wall and spread them around the bed.

"Physically? Tired, but okay. Otherwise? Lousy."

Jack shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Cass. It wasn't your fault."

"Maybe not, but Tess was still my responsibility. I should've paid more attention."

Jack sighed. "Like how? You got her through the gate, didn't you?"

Cassie's voice was full of self-reproach. "She was alone when she got here. That never should have happened."

"We could argue about this forever," Daniel interrupted, "but right now we need to know what happened."

Cassie's eyes darted uncertainly to SG-1. She returned the soft smile Major carter gave her. Jack followed her eyes.

"They've already seen Tessa, Cass. We can't do much more damage."

After a moment, Cassie nodded. She opened her mouth to speak when Teal'c entered. All eyes turned to him.

"I have not been able to locate my son. Do you know of his whereabouts?"

Cassie sighed, worry touching her touching her eyes. "Yes. He was called away by the Jaffa faction on Kheb just before the battle. But I'm not quite sure it was actually them. I'm worried about him."

Teal'c inclined his head. "As am I. If he is able, he will return to the planet, at which point he will know to return to Earth."

An emotion Jack couldn't quite decipher flitted across Cassie's face. "And what if he isn't?"

"Hell," Daniel said, rubbing his forehead. "This is getting out of hand."

Jack leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. "So when the Goauld didn't get them," he pointed over his shoulder at SG-1, "they went after the next best target. How the hell did they know where to go?"

"Or, more importantly," Sam said from the doorway, "Who told them?"

Jack turned to look at her, regarding her seriously. "You think it was one of our people?"

She sighed and shook her head, weariness coming off her in waves as she moved into the room. "I don't know. But there doesn't seem to be many other possibilities, does it?"

Daniel nodded toward the private rooms where Tessa was located. "Is Tess okay?"

"Yeah. She has some pretty fancy bruises and a concussion, but she'll be okay. Janet is keeping her overnight for observation. Dad's with her now."

Daniel smiled, and she smiled back. Then she got back down to business. "We're still left with the question of who gave over the information and why."

Daniel frowned. "That's one thing I don't understand. Surely everyone who knows enough information to be a risk would know that it would be in their best interest to keep it from the Goauld."

Major Carter moved forward from the back. "You keep referring to the Goauld in question as just that; do you know who it is?"

Sam smiled wryly. She looked at Jack and gave another shrug. "Might as well tell them. There's not much they don't know now," she turned her eyes back to her younger self. "There are only a few very powerful Goauld left. They combine their forces against us. It's just easier not to make a distinction between them."

"Oh." The Major sat back down, a still-confused look on her face.

Jack moved his attention back to Cassie. "What happened on the planet?"

She sighed. "About ten minutes before the attack the gate opened and someone, presumably from Kheb, sent a signal through to Rya'c saying he was needed. Then a mother ship came down and parked over our camp. After that the transport rings and gliders just poured down."

"You said that there was no power to the stargate. Why?" Daniel asked.

"A blast from a death glider totally disconnected the DHD from the stargate. We didn't even realize it until we had everyone at the gate, just waiting around like sitting ducks. Even then it took Tyler three tries to get it working."

Jack cocked his head. "Okay. Anything else we should know?"

She thought a moment, and then answered negative. "At least not anything I can think of right now."

"Alright," Jack got up out of his seat. "If you think of anything, let us know. In the meantime, get some rest. We'll see you in the morning. Want me to see if I can spring you tomorrow?"

Cassie grinned. "Nah. I think I'm going to stick around and annoy Mom for a while."

"Suit yourself."

They left and Sam saw them as far as the door. Jack turned around and touched Sam's arm briefly. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Sam nodded, and retreated to Tessa's private room.

~

Colonel O'Neill lay down on his bed and watched the other three move around their shared quarters. The silence was deafening.

He cleared his throat. "So…"

Daniel looked up from doodling at the table. "So?"

"Carter's got a kid."

He heard her sigh from across the room. "Yes sir."

"I'm in command of the base."

Daniel scowled. "Yes…"

"And Carter's got a kid."

He watched as the Major leaned back against the wall. "Sir…"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"She looks like you, Carter."

The Major smiled.

~

Sam entered the darkened hospital room quietly to avoid disturbing Tessa. Her father looked up and gave her a look of paternal concern.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

She brushed a lock of blonde from her daughter's forehead, being careful of the bandages there, and then closed her eyes. "I'm scared, Dad."

Jacob came around the bed and put his arms around her, avoiding her injured shoulder. "I know, kiddo."

"How am I supposed to protect her, Dad? I don't even know where to start."

Jacob sighed, and tightened his hold on her. "We'll find something, Sam. I promise."

He felt her nod into his shoulder, and squeezed her once more before he let go and stepped back. "Do you want me to stay with her a while so you can get a couple hours of sleep?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. I'll be fine."

Jacob smiled a little. "Hey, it was worth a try. Why don't you have Janet bring in a bed for you?"

She shrugged. "I'll think about it. Do you have to leave tomorrow?"

A reluctant expression appeared on his face. "Yes. I wish I didn't have to, but I need to see if I can found out how the Goauld knew the coordinates of the safe planet. I want to make sure it wasn't any of the Tok'ra contacts."

"Alright. I'll let the General know."

Jacob smiled a knowing smile. "Tell him I said goodnight."

Sam gave a tired chuckle. "I will. 'Night, Dad."

"Goodnight Sam."

Jacob kissed Tessa's forehead lightly, and left the room in search of his own quarters.

~

"Sam?" Jack poked his head in the door.

"She's asleep." Tessa pointed to the figure on the next bed. "She waited up as long as she could, but I think she was so tired she didn't even last 10 minutes."

Jack smiled lightly. "Sounds like your mother." He walked the rest of the way to her bed, and sat on a stool. "When did you wake up?"

"A couple of minutes ago. I had a nightmare." She rubbed her head where a bruise was. 

Jack reached up and tugged away her hand, only to keep hold of it when Tess didn't let go. "Don't do that kid, you'll make it hurt more."

"It already hurts enough." She blew out a breath and squeezed his hand.

"What was your nightmare about, Tess?"

"What happened on the planet."

"Tell me."

"It happened before I realized that we were being attacked. I was out tending the trees Shorna gave me to look after when a Jaffa came up behind me, and I thought it was Rya'c, so I didn't fight." Tessa's voice shook as she looked down at her hands.

Jack rubbed her arm. "What happened?"

"He grabbed me and put his hand over my mouth. He said that if I didn't fight, he wouldn't let the rest of the soldiers…"

Jack's jaw clenched, and he took her hand. He was aware of Sam looking at him from the shadows of the other side of the room. "How did you get away?" he asked softly, reassuring her with his tone.

"I bit his hand and shoved my head back like you taught me. He fell. I had to kick him before he'd let go of me. I tried to run away, but I got up so fast that I tripped on my cloak. He got angry." She brought a hand up to her face. "He hit me with his staff weapon a couple of times. I don't remember anything after that."

Jack frowned. "You don't know how you got back to the village?"

She shook her head. "The next thing I remember is Daniel calling for me."

Jack smiled wanly. He wanted to ask her more questions, but she needed to sleep more than anything at that moment. "Okay. That's good for tonight." He squeezed her hand before letting it go. "Get some sleep."

Tessa grabbed his sleeve. "You're not leaving, are you?"

He smiled a shook his head. "No. I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded gratefully and settled into the bed, reaching out her hand for his even as she fell asleep.

~

"She's asleep, Sam, so you can stop playing at the seven year slumber." Jack teased lightly.

Sam pushed herself upright with her good arm and swallowed heavily. "I didn't want to intrude."

Jack scowled. "What? You're not intruding, you're her mother."

She shook her head. "You've always been so good with her. And I…I'm not enough."

Taken aback, he quickly crossed the room to stand in front of her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"Before you came in tonight, she wouldn't talk about it. She wouldn't even acknowledge that something happened. I don't make her feel safe. You do. You come in and hold her hand and suddenly everything's alright." Her voice was broke, and Jack closed his eyes.

"But it's okay, because I know she needs that. She needs that. Only I can't give it to her." She sobbed and rubbed her face. "How can I possibly handle that?"

Jack's hand tightened involuntarily. "Sam, it's been you and Tess for fifteen years. You've handled everything from a broken arm to her first boyfriend. You can handle this."

When she didn't reply, he sighed. "It's been a long week. You're just tired and over stressed. Why don't you lay back down?"

Sam took a breath and let her forehead drop to his shoulder. "God, I'm losing it."

"You're assuming you ever had it in the first place."

She gave a strangled laugh, and he smiled, dropping a kiss to her temple. From behind him he heard a discreet cough, and he sighed. He recognized the owner of the cough as Daniel, so he wasn't in any hurry to move. He sighed. "Duty calls."

"Funny how it does that."

He nodded and stepped back. "I meant it about the bed. Get some sleep, Carter. You look like hell."

She straightened, understanding that the moment was over. "Likewise, sir," she replied softly.

Jack stopped a moment to kiss Tessa's cheek, and walked out with Daniel.

~

"I'm sorry I interrupted back there."

Jack sent him a look, and was annoyed to find Daniel smiling. "What's up?"

"Jacob just contacted us. Rya'c is fine, at the Tok'ra home base. After he got to Kheb and found the place deserted, he figured it probably wasn't a good idea to return to the safe world." They walked past the patient beds and towards the infirmary.

"Good. Have you told Teal'c yet?"

"Nope, I was just on my way"-

_"What?!"_

Jack and Daniel halted in their tracks, hearing Janet's shocked voice coming from the main office of the infirmary.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What the hell…?"

They heard footsteps behind them, and turned to find Sam walking towards them with a bewildered expression. "What's going on?"

Daniel shrugged. "I have no idea."

They moved slowly through the doorway to find Janet facing down a very glowing Cassie. She was grinning. Janet was growling.

Sam raised her arms in question. "What's happening?"

Cassie cleared her throat. "Um…well…it seems as though I'm pregnant."

Shocked silence filled the room.

"Cassandra."

All heads swiveled towards the door where Rya'c, looking decidedly pale, stood. Jacob waited behind him, looking for all the world like he was going to burst out with laughter at any moment.

Sam slowly grinned.

"Oh boy."

~

End of Chapter One. 


End file.
